Today is Tuesday, July 1st. Within the next 30 days, the Phillies will either be sellers – or will stand as they are. The Phillies are coming off an embarassing four-game sweep this weekend against the Braves. Outscored 22-8 this weekend, the Phillies fell 10 games under .500 at (36-46). As July comes around and the questions, rumors and potential moves that can either help this team or make it worse will arise.
The Phils will kick off a 10-game road trip tonight as A.J. Burnett (5-7, 3.89 ERA) will take on Henderson Alvarez (5-3, 2.32 ERA) and the Miami Marlins (39-43) in the first of three games.
A.J. Burnett took a loss his last time out – against the Marlins back on Wednesday. Through seven innings, Burnett allowed three runs on five hits. While striking out eight, Burnett walked three en route to his seventh loss of the year. In his last four starts, Burnett has a 2.59 ERA and has struck out 15 hitters to oppose his six walks. This will be Burnett's fourth start against the Marlins this year. He is 1-1 with a 4.47 ERA against them this year and is 2-2 with a 2.97 ERA against them lifetime.
Henderson Alvarez has filled in the shoes of Jose Fernandez as the Marlins ace this year. With Fernandez out with Tommy John surgery for the rest of the year, Alvarez has kept his team in check well enough to give them success. In his last start, a win against the Phillies on Wednesday, Alvarez allowed one earned run over 6 2/3 innings while allowing two walks and three strikeouts. Over Alvarez's last 10 starts, he is 4-1 with a 1.79 ERA and owns a 0.78 ERA over his last seven starts to lead the Majors in ERA since May 22nd. In his career against Philadelphia, Alvarez is 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA.
Game Notes:
- According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Marlins are the first team in Major League history to lose five or more games of 13-plus innings in a single calendar month.
- Chase Utley notched his 1,500th career hit in the seventh inning Sunday against the Braves.
- Marlon Byrd has nine career home runs against the Marlins, including three this season (one in each series so far).
Today's lineups:
Phillies lineup:
- Ben Revere CF
- Jimmy Rollins SS
- Chase Utley 2B
- Ryan Howard 1B
- Marlon Byrd RF
- Cody Asche 3B
- Domonic Brown LF
- Cameron Rupp C
- A.J. Burnett P
Marlins lineup:
- Christian Yelich LF
- Derek Dietrich 2B
- Giancarlo Stanton RF
- Casey McGehee 3B
- Garrett Jones 1B
- Marcell Ozuna CF
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
- Donovan Solano SS
- Henderson Alvarez P.
First Pitch: 7:05 PM ET
Location: Marlins Park, Miami, Florida
Weather: 78° – T-Storms – 60% Precip – Expect roof to be closed.
TV: CSN
Erik Seybold is a writer for Philliedelphia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.
